Pack your bags and get ready to fly to the other side of the world! Before leaving, you'll have access to a packing list, flight roster and important contact information. We'll also send you a Bold Earth t-shirt so you can easily find other students at your departure gate. Students fly and arrive together from either San Francisco (SFO) or New York (JFK) to the Beijing airport (PEK). Our second day is lost as we cross the international dateline, but we get this day back on the return trip. You are met upon arrival by your Bold Earth trip leaders. Once all together, we travel in private transport to our hotel where we will get to know each other and learn what to expect in the days ahead. Our daily routine, trip safety, expected responsibilities and all trip logistics are explained. The process of growing together as a group begins!
Beijing is one of the world's great cities, China's capital and proud home to the 2008 Summer Olympics. We start out with a guided tour of the Forbidden City and expansive Tiananmen Square. Next, we hop onto bicycles for an up close guided tour through the back street hutongs. Hutongs, endemic of Beijing and critical pieces of Chinese culture, are ancient city streets that are usually too narrow for cars and trucks, but are bustling with markets, neighborhoods, bicycles and pedestrians. These narrow, winding streets have become outdated, but have been preserved by the Chinese government thanks to their cultural and aesthetic value. Touring hutongs is a once-in-a-lifetime event that can only be experience in Beijing! Later, we cap off the night with an amazing dinner of Peking Duck before retiring to our rooms at the DonJiao Ming Xian Hotel.
Next up is an incredible two-day walk on the Great Wall of China! Day One begins in Gubeikou and ends in Jinshanling. At night, we stay with local Chinese families living in a village along the base of the Wall. On Day Two, we experience sunrise as we walk from Jinshanling to Simatai, a signature China's Best outdoor experience and a once- in-a-lifetime opportunity. Along the way, we stop at a farming commune in a nearby village and take part in a one-of-a-kind service project, gaining firsthand experience into daily life on the farm while giving back to the unique environment in which we travel. We complete the day with a homestay at the farm after enjoying a home-cooked meal consisting largely of ingredients produced on site. On Day Three, we awake at the farm and help with a morning project before heading back to Beijing, where we board an overnight sleeper train to Luoyang.
We awake from our rest on the sleeper train from Beijing and set out for a day of exploring the historic Longmen Grottoes. An incredibly well-preserved example of Chinese Buddhist art, the Grottoes consists of thousands of statues depicting Buddha and his disciples. This can't-miss site, part of the UNESCO World Heritage List, is comprised of nearly 100,000 statues nestled in over 1,000 caves less than a mile from the Yi River. The Grottoes are distinctly China, and this day is consistently rated as one of the best on the trip! The following day, we take a high-speed train over to Xian, capital of China's Shaanxi Province. Xian's history stretches back to over 3,000 years ago, and the city, one of the oldest in China, is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. Since an economic and cultural revival in the middle of the 1990s, Xian has reasserted itself as one of modern-day China's most important urban centers. After arriving in the afternoon, we explore the old and new of this fascinating city via bicycle.
On Day Nine, we awake from our accomodations at an inn in Luoyang before visiting the legendary Terracotta Warriors. Also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Terracotta Army has existed since 3rd century BC, but was only discovered accidentally by two farmers in 1974. The site consists of 7,000 pottery-constructed soldiers, horses, chariots and weapons, all in statue form. The life-sized figures are all unique, each varying in appearance and differing according to rank in the army. The statues were built under the orders of Emperor Qin, who is buried in a tomb at the foot of the nearby Mount Li. This amazing archaelogical site is a must-see for any visitor traveling to China! The following morning, we leave Xian and make our way to the airport for our flight to Gullin.
From Gullin, we transfer to Yangshou on the Li River in Southern China's Guangxi Province. This is a special place to savor. This city of about 20,000 (small by Chinese standards) is surrounded by Karst limestone mountains that resemble dragon's teeth. The town's location is quintessentially China and absolutely stunning! This destination still manages to retain a semblance of its undiscovered feeling. Popular with travelers of all sorts: rock climbers, cave explorers, bikers, writers, artists, and people looking for a comfortable place to kick back and relax. West Street is filled with a bustling marketplace and is a paradise for foreign visitors. On our first day in the city, we spend time rock climbing before heading back into town to experience some of the local flavor. Take a break around the outdoor tables to enjoy your surroundings and watch the world go by!
The next day, we enjoy an authentic culinary lesson at a local Chinese cooking school before picking up bikes and heading into the countryside for an afternoon of touring led by a local guide. We experience the best of Yangshou's unique small-town life and majestic countryside during our time in this amazing area. On Day Three, we stay in the Guangxi region but head three hours north to Longsheng. We'll spend the day hiking through the area's magical hill country and rice terraces (which, according to local folk lore, resemble dragon's scales). On the morning of Day Four, we further explore the countryside before returning to the Gullin Station, where we'll take an overnight train ride to Shenzhen, a major city in the Guangdong Province, just north of Hong Kong.
On our last full day in China, we check into a hotel in Hong Kong and spend the day exploring the amazing city. The energy and electricity of the 21st century, combined with a deference to tradition and history, blends to create a truly unparalleled urban vibe. A visit to Victoria Peak provides incredible views of Victoria Harbor, and the neon jungle of Kowloon glows as we celebrate an epic summer with a final authentic Chinese meal.
On this bittersweet day, we head to the airport, say our final goodbyes to our new friends and head home with memories of an epic summer in China!
One CPR and First Aid Certified BOLD EARTH leader and one local Chinese guide; all ground costs, all ground transportation including airport pickup and drop-off; all camping and camping gear (except sleeping bags, sleep mats and mess kits); all activities and gear listed in the above itinerary; all meals; local gratuities to wait-staff and all hotels or hostels.
Flights to/from Beijing and Hong Kong.
LEARNING • SERVICE • LEADERSHIP
